Cricket: Yorkshire League South grinds to a halt as poor weather takes hold

A stop start beginning to the season returned to stop mode last weekend as the weather proved fatal to both games involving our sides in the All Rounder Yorkshire South Premier League.

Sheffield Collegiate were hosting new opponents in Treeton at Abbeydale, and having won the toss decided to bat first.

The innings lasted just 10 overs but the opening attack of Steve Foster and overseas star Muhammed Attari both made their mark on the line up. Foster bowled Elliot Callis for three and Attari picked up and Walton caught behind for a single, both wickets falling within the first four overs.

With the gloom gathering, Dan Priestley and Billy Root steadied the situation and after ten overs, the innings was at 19-2. And that was that. Heavy rain swept westwards over the ground and no further play was possible. With only one positive result across the whole league, Collegiate stayed in fourth place.

Sheffield and Phoenix United travelled north to take on join leaders Wakefield Thornes. United also won the toss but elected to field with the weather similarly threatening in West Yorkshire. The home side’s openers weathered the early threat from Yaqoob Yousuf and Jaymish Patel taking the score to 48, but the introduction of James Exley saw the breakthrough come as he dismissed Mathew Jordan, caught by captain Azeem Rafiq for 20.

A further 10 runs were added before the weather found its way north and the game was abandoned, for four points each, ending Thornes’ 100 per cent start to the season and keeping United in fifth place, tied with Collegiate on 32 points; Thornes second with 52.

The leaders remained Appleby Frodingham as they thrashed Whitely Hall by 190 runs. Whitley were chasing 313-8, and fell terribly short on 123 all out, as the rain never got far enough east to affect the Scunthorpe area.

Hoping for brighter weather this week, Collegiate are again at home, this time to Wickersley, who registered a great win against Treeton in the League Cup on Sunday, chasing down 248 in just 30 overs to win by eight wickets.

United are at home to Whitley Hall who, like Wickersley, will have several faces familiar to the Bawtry Road side with the possibility of Neil Longhurst, Pieter Swaenpoel, Matt Milburn and Callum Bethel playing, all having previously played at Bawtry Road for the home side.